Receptacle closure



Dec. 19, 1961 E. KRONSON ETAL 3,013,711

RECEPTACLE CLOSURE Filed Sept. 21, 1960 x uvmvrons.

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Patented Dec. 19, 1961 3,013,711 RECEPTACLE CLOSURE Ernest Kronson, Buffalo, and Felicia Dickinson, Hamburg, N.Y., assignors to Wagner Folding Box Corporation, Butlalo N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 21, 1960, Ber. No. 57,514 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-36) This invention relates to a new and improved closure for receptacles and more particularly to a self-locking closure for a carton, commonly made of an inherently stiff :material such as cardboard or paperboard.

tofore not known.

When providing a carton with a closure it is desirable that any end wise movement be held to a minimum or if :possible completely done away with. However, with the use of the arrowhead closure a great deal of play is encountered, due to the fact that the outermost portion of the arrow-like member is considerably wider than the portion immediately following and, since the relatively large portion must pass through a locking slit of a width equal to this outer portion, it is evident that endwise play must occur when the relatively narrow portion of the arrow closure encounters the locking slit.

To overcome the above difficulty the present invention has as its primary object to provide a closure so constructed and designed as to facilitate the locking operation without objectional endwise movement of the carton parts.

Another object of the invention is to provide a closure designed to facilitate assembly of the retaining parts of the carton by insuring registry thereof.

A further object is to provide a closure designed to overcome the unintentional rupturing of the portions of the carton being retained by the closure.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a receptacle which is economical to manufacture since it is constructed from a single blank.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a cardboard blank from which a carton and a closure constituting a preferred embodiment of the invention is made.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the position of the parts of the carton and closure of FIG. 1 in a partly closed condition.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view taken at an angle opposite to that shown in FIG. 2, and illustrates the parts of the carton and the closure of FIG. 1 in a fully closed condition.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the closed carton shown in FIG. 3, with parts broken away to disclose the interlocking action of the closure.

Referring to the drawings and particularly FIG. 1, the

carton is assembled from a single blank comprising a rectangular wall 10 defined by fold lines 11 which form the juncture of the wall 10 and a pair of end walls 12. Adjacent the fold lines 11 similar creases 13 are provided which define the point at which the end walls 12 join with a flap 14. Fold or crease lines 15 connect the lines 11 and 13 and indicate the point at which the end wall 12 is provided with tabs 16. The wall 12, flap 14 and tabs 16 are folded as hereinafter described to form an end closure for the carton.

The two remaining sides of the wall 10 are defined by -fold lines 18 which illustrate the juncture between the wall 10 and a pair of side walls 19. The numeral 20 indicates a cut in the blank, which terminates at the juncture of the fold or crease lines 11, 15 and 18. This cut 20 severs the tab 16 from the side wall 19 and renders the tab capable of being bent along the fold line 15.

Parallel and in close proximity to the fold lines 18 are similar fold lines 21 which define the mating edges of side walls 19 and a relatively narrow panel 22, as shown at the left in FIG. 1, and a panel 23 which is substantially equal in width to the wall 10, as shown at the right in FIG. 1 respectively. The edge of the panel 22, opposite from the fold 21, has a centrally located tongue or projection 24 extending outwardly therefrom. The tongue 24 is of substantially rectangular form and has a leading edge 25 and tapering side edges 26, which converge toward the leading edge 25. Adjacent the edges 26 are fold lines 28 forming the connection for the tongue 24 and the panel 22. An arcuate slot 29 defines the outer marginal portion of a lip 27 located centrally with respect to fold lines 28, 28 and determines the inner extremities a, a of these fold lines. A radial cut 30 extends outwardly from the arcuate slot 29 toward the leading edge 25 of the tongue 24.

A slot or opening 31 is provided in the panel 23 parallel to its edge 32. The length of the slot 31 is approximately the same as the distance between the points Where the tapering side edges 26 of the tongue 24 project from the panel 22, these points being indicated at b, b. To prevent the unintentional rupturing or tearing of the ends of the slot 31 converging slits 34 extend from the outermost ends of the slot 31 toward the edge 32 of the panel 23. These slits 34 also form ears or tabs 35 which have the function, when depressed by the tongue 24, of rendering the slot 31 more accessible for entry of the tongue the apex of the slits 31 and 34 being indicated at c. At a point remote from the apex c the central portion of the slot 31 reverses itself to form a cut 36 and at right angles thereto parallel cuts 38 are formed to project toward the edge 32 of the panel. The distance between the cuts 38 is equal to the distance between a, a. To complete the formation of a carton retainer locking tab 40, an arcuate slot 41 joins the ends of the cuts 38 at a point closest to the edge 32. It will be seen that the cuts 36 and 38 together with the arcuate slot 41 form ears 42 on either side of the tab 40.

In FIG. 1 of the drawing the fold or crease lines are illustrated by fine lines to distinguish them from slits or other out edges.

The product to be packaged is placed on the wall 10 and the carton is positioned for use by utilization of the fold lines 11, 13 and 15. This brings the end walls 12 into parallel relation with each other and portions the flaps 14 to a position in which they project toward each other in spaced parallel relation to the wall 10. The tabs 16 swing about the fold lines 15 until they are at right angles to the end walls 12. After the above operations have been performed the relatively wide, rectangular panel 23 is folded, along the line 21, over the flaps 14 thus bringing the associated side wall 19 to a position along the outer side of the tabs 16. The relatively narrow panel 22 is brought over the edge 32 of the panel 23 and the tongue 24 diverges from the plane of the panel 22, about the fold lines 28, so as to allow the leading edge 25 to slide behind the carton retainer locking tab 40. This action causesthe arcuate portion of the locking tab 40 to slide along the central party of the tongue 24, containing the radialcut 30, which creates an up- 3 ward force on this tab. In conjunction with this upward force on the tab 4% the leading edge 25 of the tongue 24 forces the cars 35 downwardly, thus the slot 31 is opened to allow the tapered edges 26 of the tongue 24 to slide easily therein as shown in FIG. 2. Because the distances between the points b, b and c, c, are equal, it will be seen that there can be no lateral movement of the panels 22 and 23 with respect to each other, also due to the provision of the converging slots 34 the tendency to rupture or tear at points 0, c is held to a minimum.

Bending the tongue 24 downwardly along fold lines 28 causes the lip 27 to remain in the same plane as the panel 22 and creates an opening 45 for receiving the arcuate portion of the tab 40, all as shown in FIG. 2. The length of the opening 45 corresponds to the distance between a, a and since, as stated, the distances between a, a and the cuts 38, forming the ears 42 of the tab 49, are equal the tab 40 can be easily slid into the opening 45. The entry of the tab 40 into the opening 45 is also facilitated by the provision of the slot 30 which opens slightly when pressure is applied by the tab 40 against the central portion of the tongue 24.

Additional pressure applied to the panel 22 will bring the parts of the carton to the position shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 wherein the portion of the ears 42, formed by the cuts 36, is forced past the points a, a and due to the inherent stillness of the material being used the opening 45 has a tendency to spring closed thus holding the tab in a retained or locked position.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the retaining device of the present invention facilitates closing the carton and holds the same in a closed position by the expeditious use of tabs and registering openings that are not subject to unintentional tearing or rupturing and the carton formed with a closure as herein described can be made economically from inexpensive material.

What is claimed is:

1. In a receptacle including a pair of overlapping panels, the combination therewith of a closure comprising a tongue projecting from one of said panels, said one of 40 said panels having a slit extending laterally of the direction in which said tongue projects, the other of said panels 4 having a tab provided with locking portions and slit means extending laterally of the direction in which said tab projects, said tongue projecting through said slit means between said other panel and sa1d tab, said tab projecting through said slit between said tongue and said first panel, with said locking portions lying between said first and second panels adjacent said slit, the remote extremities of said slit means terminating in slits which project in the direction in which said tab projects to provide, with said tabs, ears which project in the direction opposite from the direction in which said tab projects and being capable of being depressed by said tongue to facilitate the entry of said tongue into said slit means.

2. in a receptable including a pair of overlapping panels, the combination therewith of a closure comprising a tongue projecting from one of said panels and having opposite edges which converge toward each other toward the outer extremity of the tongue, said one of said panels having an arcuate slit extending laterally of the direction in which said tongue projects, and an arrowheadshaped tab formed in the other of said panels by slit means and said tab being provided with a pair of oppositely extending ears forming locking portions and projecting into said arcuate slit, said tongue projecting through said slit means, said slit means engaging said opposite edges of said tongue and said tab projecting through said arcuate slit between said tongue and said first panel with said oppositely extending ears lying between said first and second panels adjacent said arcuate slit, the remote extremities of said slit means terminating in slits which project in the direction in which said tab projects to provide, with said tabs, ears which project in the direction opposite from the direction in which said tab projects and being capable of being depressed by said tongue to facilitate the entry of said tongue into said slit means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

